


Open the Bottle, Dex

by LaBelleIzzy



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Canon Het Relationship, College Hockey, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Podfic Welcome, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Road Trips, Samwell Men's Hockey Team - Freeform, Threesome - M/M/M, transformative arts welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-14 03:21:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7150982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaBelleIzzy/pseuds/LaBelleIzzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>http://labelleizzy.tumblr.com/post/145672162167/send-me-a-pairing-and-a-number-and-ill-make-you</p><p>Thepolyamorouspolymath asked for the prompt: “I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”<br/>Nursey/Dex/Chowder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The History of the Bottle

Dex had never been in this position in his whole life. He’d never had time for thinking about romance and love. He was too damn busy trying to make sure everything got done around the house, that his little brothers and sisters were staying out of trouble, and that he himself could keep his grades up.

He’d had friends, and crushes, and not-crushes where he refused to admit that his feelings for a friend-who-was-a-guy bore a startling resemblance to a crush-on-a-girl; but that was NOT something that would fly in his small town, and he had no idea what his family would say if he was to admit to liking guys as well as girls. He *thought* his family would mostly be okay with things, but it felt like a dangerous thing to admit.

So he hid those feelings. He hid them really well, even from himself. It was hard. It made him angry and sarcastic, bottling up things he needed and wanted … but in life, SO many things just weren’t FAIR that he could be angry at THOSE things and vent out some of the other things that he was mad about all the time.

Dex got in a lot of fights at school.

He was a good student. He loved math and science and computers, and he knew a lot about marine biology and sailing and oceanography from all his lobster-boat family. His uncles and his parents were always discussing the weather and the migration patterns, the tells that would make a fishing voyage profitable or … not. These were just things he knew from having lived them, no big deal.

Same for how he could fix things. They always had to fix things around his house, around the boats. And his dad and his uncles taught him a lot of troubleshooting and repair, the same way his mom and his aunts taught him how to do repairs in other ways, to avoid getting teased at school. Do this to make the last season’s jeans and shirts look more like this season’s. To fix that tear, so the pants will last just a little longer. To keep your trainers clean and nice for school (they were always kept separate from his boat shoes). To shop for bargains and know how to stretch meals so they fed the whole family better, so nobody went to bed hungry.

But Dex was always a little awkward with his friends and classmates. He didn’t feel like he was clever with words, or easygoing, or the kind of boy other people swarmed around or picked first for kickball or anything like that. He got along fine, and he had some close friends and a good amount of people who he liked and who liked him… but there was always an edgy uneasiness in his gut, fear that the wrong someone would find out that he liked them… in the wrong way.

Just before graduating high school, Dex showed up for the hockey tour at Samwell, where he met a lot of potential freshmen that he might be playing with next year. Including a ridiculously enthusiastic guy from California and a dark and amused eighteen year old with five o’clock shadow. They were so different, and both were so interesting in their different ways…

The three of them, Nursey, Dex, and Chowder, swiftly became friends as their first year in college began. They played hockey, they studied, they got drunk, they yelled at video games, they ate Bitty’s amazing cooking. They laughed with Shitty, argued with Ransom and Holster. They listened to Lardo when she bossed them. They wondered, quietly, about Jack. And then they got to wonder more loudly, WITH Jack when all four of them were tied up together for Hazeapalooza.

They were three bros together: always in each others space, frequently in each other’s faces, sometimes fighting, sometimes play wrestling or pranking. Dex thought he might be having the best year of his life, bar none. His classes were going well. Even when he struggled to keep his grades up, his friends and teammates had his back. He knew Nursey, even Nursey, who kept arguing with him, inexplicably poking and niggling at him... would have his back against anyone ELSE who’d try to pick a fight or check him into the boards on the ice.

Dex felt… he felt warm. He felt safe. These wacky, chaotic people were around him all the time, throwing him into hugs, piling on in a bed or on the Green Couch of Awesome so everyone could watch a show… everyone sharing food, clothes, booze. Getting through good times and bad, just like a family does.

But as the winter started to give way to spring, Dex slowly came to realize that Chowder and Nursey: they were special. Special, and not just because they were his bros, his hockey bros, his teammates, his friends.

They were special because each of them had a piece of his heart, and he didn’t know at what point, exactly, he had given those pieces away. He could pinpoint certain moments, like when Chowder’s anxious attempts to help him and Nursey get along became adorable rather than annoying, or when Nursey and he finally sat down and had a real TALK about what was bothering each of them, rather than yelling and fighting. Both of them promised to do their best to really listen, to try to do better and not to escalate the fight just because it was easy.

That was scary enough. Being vulnerable with his bro, his teammate, went against a lifetime’s worth of bottling shit up, and let’s be honest, he recognized that he was bottling his FEELINGS up, that he was feeling shame about liking someone for the wrong reasons, in the wrong way, and bottling THAT up.

But here Dex was, here at Samwell, where people actually TALK about such things, and bad things don’t happen in the same way that he fears they will. Chowder’s just so goofy and lovable, like a labrador, and Nursey’s so cuddly and sweet like a cat, and the first time the three of them all fall asleep on Green Couch of Awesome together, Dex thinks his heart will break open from all the feelings he’s actually for the first time ALLOWING himself to feel rather than trying to deny them and shove them all into the bottle.

These are his guys. They all have each other’s backs.  
And he trusts them.

But tonight he’s going to do possibly the scariest thing he’s ever done. This is tons scarier than leaving himself open to Nursey, trying to not raise his defenses, trying not to fight.

Tonight he’s going to have Nursey - Derek, and Chowder - Chris, over … the three of them are going to have pizza together, and talk. And Dex is going to say the thing that’s been running through his head for weeks: “I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

Then... well, then he’ll find out what comes after. He swallows nervously and finishes tidying up his room so there’s space and pillows for all of them to sit, and he hopes … He just HOPES, is all.


	2. Open the pizza box, take out my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parachuting would be easier than sharing his feelings.

Dex is wound tight as a spring waiting for the other two boys to arrive. Chowder’s picking up the pizza, Nursey’s promised to bring a six pack of Coke, and Dex is hosting, which is good except he’s nervous. Jittery. Tonight feels important.

Nursey would say that it feels “portentous” but Nursey’s a poetry-loving English major, and the word doesn’t roll right in Dex’s head.

Important lacks… some kind of flavor to it, but it’s good enough for now.

He’s about to go stick his head out into the dorm hallway to check on them when the quick knock comes on his door and the doorknob turns.

“Hi Dex, I have the pizza!” crows Chowder happily. Dex smiles almost without meaning to. Chowder’s the guy who feels everything at 100%. He squees and bounces and tacklehugs people, or else he mopes, or he apologizes for every little thing. Nursey follows Chris in the door and some of the smile Dex feels at seeing Chowder and his enthusiasm, flows over onto Derek too.

Nursey greets him with a half smile, a raised eyebrow and a swing of the Coke cans. “Dexy, how’s it hanging, my bro?” He knows what he gets for that, and Dex’s eyes roll so hard they almost fall out. But then he grins, he can’t help it. He’s so happy to see these two dorks. It’s like something was missing, like HE was missing something while they were gone, and now he has the something back. The something that he can’t exactly put words around, well, it feels pretty important to his functioning and happiness, though.

“C’mere guys….” Dex ducks his head as he takes the pizza from Chowder and puts it on his desk. Nursey sets the coke cans next to the box. Chowder starts the hug, throwing his arms solidly around Dex, who intentionally makes a comical “oof” noise. Nursey, just slightly taller, wraps his long arms around both of them, with a quietly happy humming sound. 

Dex can feel Chowder’s cheekbone digging hard into his collarbone and doesn’t even mind, because he can feel the warm huff of Chowder’s breathing against his shirt. Nursey rubs his face, like a cat, on the side of Dex’s head. The scruff on Nursey’s chin scrapes his temple and he … thinks he actually likes that. He’s completely surrounded and engulfed by the best friends he’s ever made in his life. He has a moment of nearly perfect happiness but when he has the impulse to kiss each of them on the cheek before letting them go... This shocks him enough that his hold on each of them tightens for a fraction of a moment and they both look at him: Chowder looks up and Nursey looks down.

“Ok, bro?” comes Nursey’s quiet voice. Chowder, silent for once, just looks at Dex, his smile a little thoughtful and lopsided as his hand rubs gently up and down Dex’s back.

They haven’t let him go, Dex realizes. _We’re still standing here hugging, and they’re checking to see if I’m okay._

He’s hit by a sudden flood of feelings, complicated swirls of unidentifiable strong… THINGS. It nearly knocks his legs out from beneath him. He feels swept out to sea by this unexpected undertow, and he actually stumbles a little.

“C’mon guys, let’s eat already before the pizza gets cold.” Chowder’s voice is practical and quiet and right next to Dex’s ear. He pulls both Dex and Nursey closer and makes all three of their heads bonk together gently. It’s like a really quiet, really slow celly after one of their hockey goals, and the three of them find that they’re all grinning like idiots as they untangle their arms from each other, patting at shoulders and heads (and decidedly not stroking. No, that wasn’t a caress.)

Dex, feeling a bit overwhelmed, flops heavily on top of the pillow that lets him lean back against his dorm bed and watches his friends bring the food and the cola cans down to the floor. Nursey offers him a can, which Dex takes (without making eye contact, feeling suddenly shy) and sprawls out over the floor just close enough to reach the pizza box that Chris has courteously opened, joining them on the floor in a surprisingly graceful tumble.

They all fill their faces with pizza, eating quietly, companionably. They’re growing boys, they work hard, and it’s been a long day. 

Dex feels his heart rate slow and he swears he can feel his blood sugar rising. _How much of my worry was just that lunch was a long time ago?_ He shakes his head, laughing at himself and glancing under his lashes at the other boys. 

After a few minutes of quiet chewing and slurping, Nursey lets out a hilarious surprise belch. Chowder’s swallowed snortlaugh makes him spray his full mouthful of soda all over Dex’s lap and chest, and his panicky face of regret and apology as he fumbles for the pile of pizza napkins to try and help Dex clean up is even funnier than Nursey's belch.

Dex actually says, “it’s okay, Chowder, CHILL.” Nursey looks up quickly at that, wide-eyed, and Dex winks at him. How can he be nervous around these two meatballs? They're just too adorable. His heart fills up with warm affection for both of them. 

He’s grinning and patting Chowder’s shoulder because Chris has covered one face with his hand and is peeking through his fingers. He grabs the back of Chris’s neck and pulls him over into a headlock… “you can help me do laundry tomorrow, eh bro?”

“Oh my god, I’m so embarrassing,” says Chris to his shoes as Dex ruffles up his hair. Dex lets him go with a final scruff of his unmessably straight hair.

“You're not embarrassing, you're adorable. Maybe adorkable. Back me up on this, Nursey,” Dex ordered, glancing over.

Derek Nurse’s got his head propped up and tilted into his hand from where he’s stretched on the floor watching them with a tiny smile. “Adorkable, C. Super adorkable.” His expression is surprisingly sweet and open.  
“Actually you’re BOTH kinda cute.”

In unison, Dex and Chowder turn to stare at Nursey. Dex’s heart races. “Yeah?” he says stupidly. He can feel a part of himself rise up in denial, to brush off Derek’s words, and he keeps a firm grip on himself, because now he really wants to KNOW. “When, uh, when did you figure that out?” 

Dex glances sideways at Chris who looks hyper aware, glancing between Nursey and him.

Nursey’s smile broadens into a lopsided grin. “Have you two SEEN yourselves?” There’s a genuine fondness there, as he props himself up on his forearms. “Never mind on the ice, I love how you nerds look on the land, too.”

Chowder’s voice comes out hoarsely as he leans back into Dex’s side. “Nursey, what the hell are you still doing way the hell over there? Shove the box out of the way and get over here, will you please?” Dex thinks it’s Chowder’s “please” that does the job... 

Nursey bats the box to one side, incidentally closing it, and it slides over halfway shoved under Dex’s bed. Dex thinks he’s gonna die because Nursey just rises to hands and knees and _crawls_ (oh god would you LOOK at him) over the couple of feet to where he and Chowder are squashed together and leaning against the bedframe.

Dex KNOWS he’s going to die when Nursey looks over at each of them before rolling down to sprawl on the floor, head pillowed on Chowder’s thigh, and hooking an ankle over Dex’s outstretched left leg. He’s breathing deeper than usual, and his face has a vulnerable edge to its usual neutral expression as he looks up at Dex from the floor. 

Scared and determined, he watches Chowder cautiously wrap an arm around Nursey’s neck. Dex feels a bit dizzy watching Chris’s hand land on Nursey’s sternum. Determination and hope both rise when Derek brings his left hand up and laces his fingers through Chris’s there on his chest. Dex suddenly flushes hot. He knows his face and neck are red, just from thinking about what he’s been wishing he could say, for weeks now.

He takes one hand to wrap around Chris’s back where he’s leaning up against him, and moves the other hand (with some effort, because Nursey’s the difficult one here, to his way of thinking) to wrap warmly around Nursey’s ankle where it’s hooked over his own leg.

Dex looks at them both, these guys, HIS guys, his people, and a shy smile starts creeping up over his still very red face.

“Um, this is looking like it might be easier to say than I ever thought it would be.”  
He swallows, chewing his dry lower lip into his mouth, and letting it out again as he draws in a slow, deep breath. They’re both looking at him… Chowder’s warm brown eyes and Nursey’s greeny-hazels meet his own as he glances at each of them. 

Um. yeah. Suddenly Dex can’t look at them, he’s staring at the ugly dorm carpet in that small space open between the three of them. “So I hope you guys know, um, I think you’re the best friends I’ve ever had. I, um, you both know that I didn’t have a lot of time for hanging out with people in school before this, between grades and hockey and jobs and family stuff… “ He lets it trail off a bit while he gathers his courage. “You guys are both, like, really important to me.”

Chris bumps his shoulder gently and Derek rocks his ankle where it’s touching Dex’s. It gives him the courage to look up at them. Chris looks curious instead of worried, now, and Derek has a tiny smile with no chill and no sarcasm. Dex doesn’t think he’s ever seen that smile before.

He takes another deep breath and says, slowly, “I don’t wanna mess this up. But I think I’m in love with you (looking at Chris) and also with you (looking at Derek), and I’m kind of completely terrified. I don’t know how to do this or if we even can, or if you even want to, but I wanted you both to know, because it’s killing me keeping this bottled up.”

There’s a short silence. Dex feels like he’s just jumped off the Titanic, and the cold sinking feeling is going to kill him in a few more seconds.

“Hey,” he hears Chowder’s voice quiet in his ear. “It’s okay. We’re here.” Chris’s skull bonks gently into his own again, and then his head settles on Dex’s shoulder, his arm snugging up warmly along Dex’s waist.

Derek rolls up from the floor to his knees, crowding up into Dex’s space in a kind of careful lunge. “Will,” Derek says quietly, and Dex shudders a bit because Nursey calling him by his real name only happens when it’s important. “Will, we got you. We got your back. We’re not going anywhere.”

Derek gathers them both up in his long arms and they are all leaned up against each other. It’s not sexy at all, it’s a little awkward and uncomfortable, but it feels like something Dex needs in order to breathe. and it’s obvious none of them want to shift until they have to.

Chris says, in a low register. “I totally love you guys. Both you guys.” and after a minute, “Um, and I do like guys sometimes, and I do think both of you are hella cute, I just don’t know how we would do things?” The thoughtful frown in his voice is audible as he continues speaking much slower than his usual. “I'm going to have to talk to Farmer and find out if she'd be okay with us being open. Both of us have friends who are poly, so at least it's not a like, totally new concept.”

He stops talking for a second when he realizes the other two have drawn together and back a little so they can stare at him. Chris rolls his eyes. “You guys, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area? There's not a lot of people where I live who grow up totally ignorant about alternative relationships, queer politics, and Pride events. Even our church flies Pride flags in June!” He grumbles, “Why does everyone think I am such a NOOB.”

Dex half-smiles. Tousles Chris's hair and snorts a little. That was NOT what he expected, but he's not discouraged. “Nursey, siddown.” He pats the carpet next to him, and Nursey obliges. He's got his heart in his throat again to say quietly, “What do you think, bro?”

Nursey settles in and says with a quirk of his lips, “I don't have to check with anyone, so I'll just say you both are my absolute favorite people (he reaches out a hand to Chowder, who takes it), I love you both, (he wraps his arm around Dex) and… let's just (lays a soft kiss on Dex 's temple) take it slow, talk a lot, keep checking in, and play some phenomenal fucking hockey.” He rubs his cheek against Dex's hair again, and the scuff of beard scruff on his face grounds Dex back into his body.

“Okay, okay good... Um, yeah, yes, that sounds good.” It had felt good, too… and the feel of Nursey’s rough face on his face definitely gives him some ideas, returns him into some thoughts he's barely dared to think… 

Chowder huffs and grins at Dex, bringing him out of his daydreams. “Uh-huh, who's being all adorkable NOW?”

Dex mumbles “Shut up, bro,” with pink returning to his cheeks, and pulls them both closer so all three of them can lean their heads together, put their arms around each other, and breathe. 

There is time. Time to figure this thing out, time to maybe try some new things,  
Time to risk being honest and vulnerable. Time to change and grow. 

But for just now, and the next little while, the three of them can just huddle up on the floor of his room... can be together and be there together in the moment with… whatever this is, whatever it might become. 

Dex is so glad he took a chance. He feels like he jumped off the cliff without being sure he had a working parachute but that it worked fine and now he's coasting through the air. Like he can see a landing field ahead, even if he's not 100% sure how to get there.

He whispers, “You guys know I got your backs, right?”  
“BRO!” whispers Nursey, “like we DIDN'T know that??”  
“And we've got yours, Dex. Promise. No matter what happens.” says Chowder.

And Dex just closes his big hands in the fabric of their shirts, closes his eyes and keeps breathing. Their hands shift in comfort, and he thinks, “This is going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are these giant dorks going to even kiss? I don't know! They definitely like each other, and there's great potential there.  
> Leave a kudo or a comment, each one has a direct correlation in words on paper, let me know what you think!
> 
> p.s. Chowder's family goes to the Unitarian Universalist Church.  
> p.p.s. I thought very seriously about shirtless Dex after the coke-spraying part of the story but it just didn't flow right for this chapter. Still thinking about it, though.
> 
> thanks, Ngozi, for letting us write stories about your children, they are exceptionally cool toys.
> 
> read the comic starting here: http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/post/57705111693


	3. No Bottles, No Boxes, No Closets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chowder, Dex, and Nursey go on Spring Break together as they work their way gradually into a romantic polyamorous relationship.

Several weeks pass while the three adjust to the new flow of their friendship. Chowder DOES help Dex do his laundry to recover from the soda spray. The two of them lean hip to hip against the warm dryer, talk and laugh. Nursey’s started to drape a foot or a leg over Dex’s when they study together, or snag Chowder around the neck when they’re walking. It takes Chowder at least a week to stop grinning and spontaneously blushing when the three of them are hanging out together or are smushed up on the Green Sofa of Comfiness watching TV or playing video games together. 

It turns out Caitlin is okay being in an open relationship, because Christopher Chow is utterly trustworthy and transparent, and he’s also really really good at making it clear that he wants her and loves being with her. When she’s too busy with school, or volleyball practice, or the rest of her social life, she sends him off to see the other boys, smirking at him to “Get some, Chow!” Caitlin Farmer is awesome, generous, and self confident, and she loves to get Chris’s stories when he comes back to see her the next time. His stories also turn her on pretty thoroughly, which then becomes self-reinforcing behavior for him to keep telling her stories.

Nursey, Dex, and Chowder take it slow. They talk a lot, keep checking in with each other, and YES, play phenomenal hockey with their bros. Ransom and Holster keep commenting on how well Dex and Nursey are getting along and how it shows in their teamwork. Meanwhile Chowder’s on an epic streak, with shutouts and incredible saves, crushing it every night they’re on the ice.

Hockey season keeps going through Spring Break at Samwell, of course, but all the guys get a week off school. The Frogs decide to spend the time together rather than go home, and decide that a road trip through New England will be suitably adventurous. A week away from college, just the three of them, exploring... they all agree that sounds fantastic.

Dex’s one condition is that they go nowhere near his home town.

Nursey and Chowder nod and agree, that is a reasonable request. There are lots of other destinations they can visit… and the two of them have come to terms with the fact that Dex, despite him being willing to declare his feelings first, needs to move the slowest out of the three of them. 

So this spring in Samwell, Massachusetts, after a winter of kisses, cuddles, feet tangled under the kitchen and library tables, a number of ill advised but hilarious shenanigans, a few drunken makeout sessions and sleepovers, and a few SOBER makeout sessions and sleepovers, the three of them set off. Lardo’s lending them her car for the week in exchange for a) some minor repairs from Dex beforehand, b) a clean car with a topped up tank in the driveway on Saturday night, and c) some favors to be redeemed later from all three of them.

“She’s probably going to make us lift and help her install her next giant sculpture projects, isn’t she?” groaned Chowder at the news (and the mischievous expression on Lardo’s face as they drove off certainly didn’t help.)

“Cheer up Chow,” said Nursey from "shotgun" as Dex expertly backs the car out from behind the Haus. “Maybe she won’t have us do heavy lifting after all.” There’s a delicate pause as Dex brings the car out of the driveway, out of Reverse, and into Drive. Nursey's face looks entirely too innocent as he glances into the backseat. “Maybe she’ll just lend us out to her art studio friends as models…?”

Dex’s snort and glare has little heat to it but is drowned out anyway by Chowder’s very red face crying out “NOOOOOOooooooooooo!” from behind his hands. For such an adorable guy and lifelong athlete, Chow’s surprisingly body-shy. He’s always wearing those jerseys and hoodies that hide his shape, and he’s the last one you’d catch playing strip poker or strip Never-Have-I-Ever.

To Nursey’s mind? That's just a crying shame. A DAMN shame. Of course he chirps Chowder about it, just a little bit, the loss to humanity's aesthetic sense, et cetera. Every so often, Chowder will smile instead of blush and hide, and that’s certainly a kind of progress.

Dex huffs again and plugs in the tunes, smiles just a smidgen as Chowder recovers from his anticipation of future terminal embarrassment. 

Their first big destination will be Niagara Falls, since neither Chowder nor Dex has been there before. It’s only a 7 or 8 hour drive from Samwell, but Nursey’s got a friend of the family in Albany, New York, roughly the halfway point. The Allens are willing to let the boys stay there tonight because they are vacationing in Colorado, and so the Frogs will have the house to themselves.

This sounds like an excellent opportunity for Shenanigans and Interpersonal Explorations, thinks Derek slyly, smiling. They’ll get a late lunch or early dinner somewhere in Albany before heading to the Allens’ home and settling in for the evening. They’re all agreed to take it easy, but a quiet empty living room with a big couch and his two favorite people has his imagination going a little heated in anticipation. 

They sing along to the radio, play stupid childish traveling games like Slug-a-Bug and I Spy, tell horrible jokes and stories from their childhoods.

Before they know it, they’ve hit the outskirts of Albany, and it’s time to pick someplace to have dinner. They squabble a little among themselves as they drive through town, but it’s all good natured chirping and traditional insults from around the Haus and rink. Chowder wants lasagna and Dex and Nurse can get behind pasta as well, so they pick a mid range Italian place on the main drag. They stuff their faces like the college kids they are, trying not to be too rowdy. Derek makes sure that they leave a good tip for their busy but friendly waitress, and they pile back into the car to head for their last destination of the night.

They pull up into the driveway, and Chowder’s a bit overawed. “Nursey,” he whispers as the car rolls up the driveway, “You didn’t say your friends had a MANSION…”

Dex’s mouth is pursed and his brows drawn into a frown as he parks the car in front of the, okay, it actually is a pretty big house. Oh shit, thinks Derek, maybe I didn’t think this all the way through. But he shrugs faux-casually and says, “Guys, it’s not that big of a deal. These are friends of my mama’s from when she was in law school. That's all. The Allens have a nice house, they’ve always been good to me, and they offered to let us stay. They trust us.” He looks each of them in the eyes, meeting copper and chocolate brown apprehensive gazes. “Come on in and see the guest room, it’s going to be fine. They even said we can raid the fridge since they’ll be gone for a week, we can eat whatever might go bad while they’re gone.”

Derek grabs his bag from the trunk and goes to find the house key where he’s been told it’s hidden, as the others talk quietly behind him and bring their own bags. He’s just gotten the door open when he hears the car trunk slam shut and he turns to see his friends gazing up into the tall entryway from where they’re standing behind him in the doorway. He squares his shoulders and flashes a grin. “C’mon, guys. It’ll be fun.”

Derek flips on the lightswitch near the wall, and a mellow glow lights a spacious living room. Giant flat screen TV is mounted on the far wall with a media center below, a dark brown leather sectional couch against the near wall with a glossy brown coffee table and a matching comfy chair, warm richly patterned plush rug beneath all three. He crosses the room to the kitchen that can just be seen through the far doorway, and turns on the bright accent lighting over the marble island, leaving the rest of the room dim like outside’s fading dusk.

Dex stops dead and whistles softly through his teeth, surveying the miles of counter-top, the gleaming chrome of the stove-top and oven, the pristine appliances on the counter, the gigantic refrigerator and the pantry with glass windows inset in the door. “Guys, how many people you think Bitty would murder in their sleep to get regular access to a kitchen like this? DAMN.” Chowder shakes his head, smiling as he walks through. Apparently he also can imagine their diminutive hockey “mom” drooling over this huge gorgeous kitchen space.

The sliding glass door on the left side of the kitchen leads to an outdoor patio, just glimpsed as the sunlight fades.

Dex and Chowder follow Nursey through the door on the right to a comfortable room. Centered on the right hand wall is a very large bed, covered in a brightly colored duvet (it’s still spring after all, and nights in Albany sometimes still are cold). There's nightstands to either side, electrical outlets near enough for all their devices, and a wide window with soft curtains drawn against the night. Nursey dumps his duffel under the window and gestures to his friends to do something similar.

Then he flings himself into the center of the bed, bouncing and grinning like a small boy.  
“Come here, you guys!” he orders.

Dex and Chowder look at each other, wearing matching smiles, and turn to look back at Derek Nurse, sprawled on the bed.

A few months of makeouts and sleepovers and fooling around have taught them EXACTLY how Derek is ticklish. Foolish, foolish Derek.

They pounce.

Hilarity ensues.

Finally all three are flopped out however and gasping with laughter on the giant bed. “This has GOT to be a California King,” Chowder thinks out loud, and Dex, his head pillowed on Derek’s thigh, says, “you don’t catch me saying that things have to be a Maine King, now do you? Sheesh,” but it turns out that Dex hasn’t ever heard of a California King mattress before, and soon he’s getting unmercifully chirped till he turns it around on Chowder somehow. Then both Dex and Nursey are tickling Chowder, till he sits up too, and then the three of them are all sitting up, faces beaming and smirking and catching their breaths.

Dex’s face changes, takes a shift for the more serious, and he reaches out a hand to cup the back of Nursey’s neck, glancing at Chowder and taking his hand as well. He leans over to lay a gentle sweet kiss on Nursey, followed by a quiet “thanks for all of this.” Then Dex pulls Chowder over by the hands they’re holding, rubs his nose on Chowder’s which makes Chowder grin quickly, and they meet for a kiss as well. Chowder smiles at Nursey, who’s watching with interest, leaning over to brace a hand on Nursey’s knee and make sure he doesn’t feel left out in any way. (mmmm, smooches.)

A quiet moment passes.

“You guys, is it weird that I feel hungry again?” Chowder looks bashful.  
“Nah, C, you’re a growing boy. Let’s go raid the fridge!” Nursey drops a kiss on dark straight hair and another on crisp auburn hair and rolls off the end of the bed, flawlessly landing on his feet. He makes the wordless “Ta-dahhhh!” pose before jogging out of the room.

“Wal he shore thinks mighty strongly a’ hisself,” says Dex with a smirk and an exaggerated New England accent.  
“Dex, I can’t actually tell what you just said.” Chowder apologizes.  
Dex, still smirking, also just rolls out of the bed, leaving Chowder, cross legged in the center, to clamber down alone.

They raid the fridge. It is epic. They also kill a box of ice cream which certainly wouldn’t have gone bad unless the fridge broke (unlikely) but Nursey reassures them that the Allens have a teenage boy of their own and they will understand and forgive.

The three of them are feeling well fed and reasonably awake around the dinner table, and start to clean up the minor mess they’ve made. Nursey says, “what would you guys like to do for the rest of the evening? They’ve got video games, a movie collection, and a Jacuzzi in the back yard.”

Chowder’s voice squeaks: “Oh, yeah, hot tub! I haven’t been in a hot tub in FOREVER! Let’s do that! And maybe we can see the stars? If we turn out some of the house lights?”

Dex is cranky and muttering “Stupid rich people with their stupid hot tubs, and stupid me that I didn’t bring a swimsuit” but Nursey slings an arm around Dex, saying, “Swimsuits? Where we’re going we don’t NEED swimsuits…” just like Doc Brown in Back To The Future… Dex looks up at him, surprised. Nursey waggles eyebrows at Dex and bites his lip while grinning.

Chowder says, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” as he unlocks that patio sliding door and pulls his shirt off in one gesture.

Nursey and Dex are stunned a little, watching the lovely muscles of his back as he headed into the backyard. Was this all they had to do to get Chowder to strip off? DAMN. This was going to be a good trip. 

Dex looks at Nursey and nods, determination in his face. “I’ll make sure that our hotel tomorrow has access to a private jacuzzi. Even if I have to use your credit card, I’ll make SURE of it!” Nursey nods furiously, eyebrows high. “Let’s do that thing,” he says to Dex entirely seriously, offering a fist to be bumped. Dex bumps it.

Then Nursey grins like lightning and pulls Dex’s shirt halfway over his head. “You’re the rotten egg, Dexy!” he sings as he runs out the door, hopping on one leg to take his shoes off.

“Oh no he didn’t,” mutters Dex and finishes pulling his shirt off, fumbling at the door once he can see again. There’s piles of clothes scattered all over the wooden deck, and Derek Nurse’s photogenic backside lowering into the near side of the tub, muscles in his arms flexing as he sinks into the water. Dex can feel his chest and neck and face flame up, AGAIN, seeing how gorgeous his (boy)friends are… Chowder’s face is blissed out, arms spread wide on the rim of the round wooden tub, pale chest bright in the light of the quarter-moon above. Derek’s stupidly foofy perfect hair catches just enough light, and the line of his profile as he turns his head is also stupidly perfect.

“C’mon Poindexter, slide on in, it’s DELICIOUS in here,” as he smirks and looks up from under his lashes, and Chowder mmmmm’s enthusiastically, his eyes still closed. Dex can’t keep his eyes from rolling, even though he kind of likes Nursey flirt-chirping him… but oh god they’re all naked, they’re all going to BE naked, and he can’t he just doesn’t…

Surprisingly it’s Chris Chow who breaks his increasingly worried stream of consciousness. “Dex. I can hear your freakout from way over here. With my eyes closed. And Nursey is messing with you, you should know that hot tub rules are like locker room rules. And you WERE trying to start shit, Derek, don’t even front.” Chowder lazily blinks an eye open and looks up kindly at Dex, still in his cargo shorts and bare feet. “Nobody checks out anyone’s junk, nobody starts anything sexual. S’just soaking in hot water, bro. No water fights, no asshole behavior, no sexytimes. Cool?”

Dex’s shoulders relax, and he takes a deep breath. He can do this. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, it’s definitely cool.” He shucks off his shorts and his boxers, quickly walks over to the sunken tub, and hops in gracelessly, making a small splash. 

Dex sinks into the water up to his chin for a minute or two, then realizes the water's a little too hot. He copies Chris, whose arms are still spread along part of the rim of the round wooden (cedar? redwood?) tub. His fingertips brush Chris’s and they catch his and hold for a moment before relaxing. Dex likes that.

He likes it even better when Derek also stretches out his very long arms. Which it turns out, are long enough to reach Dex’s fingers on one side and Chris’s on the other. “Man, this is the life,” says Derek. “My muscles love this.” 

Everything smells good: the tub gives off this fragrance of wood that’s hard to describe, even rising from Dex's own skin. It’s very relaxing being there in the water, all three of them like this, and his anxiety drops another notch. Their feet all bump in the middle under the water, companionable like under the library and kitchen tables of the past, and the hot water is incredibly relaxing after driving several hours to get here.  


All three lounge together in silence aside from some gentle noises of water or tree branches in the wind. Knees and feet casually meeting briefly underwater as they all relax. Dex is on the verge of dozing off after around twenty minutes when Chowder rouses himself. “Ugh, okay, guys, that’s probably long enough. You have to stay hydrated to stay in a hot tub for a long time, and we forgot to get water.”

Nursey slow-blinks at Dex like he’s waking up, or from being a little stoned. “It’s chill, brah,” moving his gaze from Dex to Chowder. “S’pose we should get out now, then?” Nursey cracks his neck audibly, Dex winces. “Be right back,” Nursey says. He swings a leg out of the tub and the rest of him follows as he fetches towels from an outside cabinet near the door. “Be rude to slop water on the kitchen floor, and I hate mopping,” he murmurs.

Chowder and Dex lift themselves out of the tub too, with slow and sleepy gestures. Chowder yawns, mouth hardware on display. “Man, I’m gonna sleep HELLA good tonight,” he sniffs, scrubbing his face with the towel.

They all seem to have fallen into “casual locker room” headspace. Sex is actually the last thing on Dex’s mind right now. He just feels warm and sleepy, comfortable with his friends. He can feel the heat radiating from his body now he’s out of the water. Nursey’s finished toweling off and has wrapped his towel around his waist. Dex and Chowder stretch and follow his lead, scooping up all their clothes as they meander back into the house, barefoot and content.

Evening routines don’t take very long, and soon each of them is in pajamas and ready to turn the lights off, sprawl out on the bed and start falling asleep.

It takes some situating, because the beds in the dorms and in the Haus aren’t very large, so most of their cuddly situations have happened on the couch or slammed up together in tiny beds, without even enough room to roll over without waking everyone up. But this is a giant of a bed, big enough to take three large and athletic young men with enough space to actually sleep.

Which isn’t to say sleep is all that happens…

A whisper in the dark: “Are you still awake?”

“Maybe, I can’t tell… Kiss me, so I can see if I’m still dreaming…”

Arms and legs entangle, then an ill advised shift puts an elbow where it *definitely* doesn’t belong.

A third voice grumbling: “Ow, dammit, did you do that on purpose?”

“No, just lucky I guess…”

“Hey, since you’re awake now, c’mere…”

*****  
In the morning, over coffee and yet another raid on the Allens’ fridge:

“Hey, Nursey, Google says if we leave by just after lunch, we can get to that bed and breakfast I was talking about yesterday…” Dex’s face is so red you could light a match on it as he keeps his focus strictly on his phone. He bites his lip and hazards a glance at the others.

“Yeah?” says Nursey, grinning.

“Yeah!” Dex’s lopsided smile takes in the California boy who has never been to this, arguably one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Nursey pulls Dex in with an arm around his shoulders, and hipchecks Chowder against the counter. “What do you think, C? Tonight, we could see Niagara Falls by moonlight, bro.” 

Chowder’s grin is huge and sunny. “Hella romantic, bro. This is gonna be s’wawesome!”

It takes the rest of the morning for them all to stop smiling kinda dopey or mischievously at one another. But they don’t quit holding hands, or hugging, or trailing affectionate fingers along each other’s skin. 

They don't stop even after they tidy up after lunch (and have another dip in the hot tub) and climb back into the car together for the next leg of their adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three more prompts that I used for this chapter:  
> "Did you do this on purpose?!”  
> “Kiss me.”  
> “Are you still awake..?”
> 
> also: anticipation of future terminal embarrassment is the name for my new hipster-music cover band. You kids get off my lawn. (kidding)


	4. First night in Niagara Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drive is beautiful, the company agreeable, and the hotel room is exceptionally nice. Three beautiful boys...

Niagara Falls, ten miles, says the roadside sign as it flashes past his window. Dex is looking forward to their arrival for many reasons. Reason one: Nursey’s shitty music. Oh my god could we please stop with the emo poetry bands and the floaty mood music. He’s been rolling his eyes and chirping Nurse for the last HOUR, though Nurse is chirping right back, and Chow is trying not to pick a side, all earnest and shit and GODDAMN he’s adorable. Maybe Chris can pick the music next time or for the drive home. 

Reason two: he’s gotta piss like a racehorse. That was a lot of coffee they drank at breakfast, and he’s only just able to resist squirming in his seat till they get where they’re going. 

Reason three is kind of related to reason two and kind of ... not. Having to piss feels an awful lot like being turned on, these days, and Dex knows more and more about being turned on, these days. He’s got a semi in his jeans, so his bladder twinges with every bump in the highway, and the feeling is hovering on that awkward border between pleasure and pain. He hates that he kind of likes it, but he is definitely looking forward to a chance to take a proper piss. And maybe they will take care of the other thing too.

The landscape they’re driving through is beautiful and green. This close to a major river system, the trees are giant all around them. Shade dapples the road and flickering shadows dart across the windshield as they approach their destination. Chow’s got the map running on his phone. Listening to him chirp Nursey about his driving and bossing him when it’s time for a turn is one of the funniest things Dex has heard in a long time. Chris has this side-eyed sly and sneaky way of chirping. It’s something special that Dex thinks Chris only does around the three of them, and is totally different from his usual wide-eyed innocent demeanor around the Haus.

Though probably... considering the amount of flirtiness under the surface, Chowder and Farmer probably flirt like this too. Dex makes a mental note to invite Caitlin and Chris out to dinner some night with him and Nursey. Seems like it would be a lot of fun, since Chris is actually 100% totally sober, and so is he and so is Nursey, and they are all still flirting.

Because chirping? Is a lot like flirting around these guys.

Dex loves it.

So Chris is chirping Derek, and Will (he actually thinks of himself more as Dex even in his own mind these days) is still squirming in his seat as they make the last turn into the driveway for the nice B&B that Dex found online last night.

The one with the private hot tub. The one with the giant bed. Yeah, that one. Dex turns his head away and grins into the window, because he can’t not, and he doesn’t want to give away the surprise already. Chris is much more perceptive and socially aware than most people give him credit for, and he spots that grin on him or on Derek, every single fucking time.

Well sue him, he wants to surprise his boyfriend.

He blinks. His eyes get wide for just a second, and then the rightness of it settles into his chest. They haven’t all used that word yet, not specifically, but they all definitely ARE boyfriends. He grins again, thinking he’s working together with one boyfriend to surprise their other boyfriend, who has another girlfriend too. 

It’s weird how good it feels to put words to it, maybe especially since all of this isn't the sort of thing he’d ever expected in his life. The weirdness is good in the way stretching your muscles out properly before and after a workout is good, like it’s making more space for him to grow and get better at something. But the stretch is in heart and mind. There was already plenty of room for both Derek and Chris, it’s just that he’s stretching his idea of what “a relationship” is. It’s barely work at all. At this point, it’s just adding a different name for things. Before this they were just “his guys”. 

Now, he realizes, he looks forward to calling them his boyfriends, even if they don’t decide to do that in public. Something to consider. How public do they want to be? But that’s a question for another time. 

While he was woolgathering, half listening to the others and half grinning lost in his own mind, they’ve arrived at the bed and breakfast and parked in a quiet green corner behind the Victorian looking home. 

They sit in silence for a moment, just arriving where they are. Chris puts his phone away, exhales, and lets his head fall back against the back seat. The long line of Chris’s throat is vulnerable, trusting, and beautiful, and Dex is hit by an inspiration. He glances over at Nursey, heat in his eyes, and tips his head a fraction towards Chris. Derek’s eyes go wide in a moment, his eyebrows go up, and he nods a tiny nod.

Dex opens his door quick and quiet, hops out, closes his door. Opens the back door and slides in next to Chris. “Hi…” he grins as Chris tips his chin down to look adorably confused at him. The closing of the other backseat door as Derek joins them opens an opportunity for Dex because Chris turns his head a moment to blink and frown at Derek too. 

Will slides his hand slowly over Chris’s belly to hear the gasp of surprise, and rubs his mouth over the exposed skin of Chris’s neck. It’s as soft and delicious as always, and he bites his own lip before kissing the tendon under Chris’s ear. It makes Chris gasp again, and Will can hear Derek taking advantage of Chris’s surprise. The lush kisses Derek is so generous with draw a sweet moan from Chris, or maybe it’s Will who’s bringing those noises out. He doesn’t care. His semi is a full on erection now, he’s got one hand in Chris’s hair and another roaming his belly and chest, occasionally stroking Derek’s arm and hand as the two of them intersect in loving on Chris’s torso and face.

Chris’s noises are addictive. After a few minutes his arms and hands are moving restlessly, one wrapped around Will's neck and the other grasping at Derek. Will leaves a short sharp bite at the base of Chris’s throat, and when he gasps, Derek lets him up for air, which Will was counting on. He gives Chris a quick kiss and then growls, “My turn,” before grabbing Derek’s chin and kissing him fiercely. Derek responds by tipping his face to get better access, opening his mouth and bringing Will in closer with a scruff of his tee shirt at the shoulder. He feels Chris’s hot mouth on his shoulder and collarbone through his shirt. Chris is scratching his nails down Will’s back, still making the good noises and squirming. 

Excellent.

Will smirks into Derek’s mouth and uses the hand that’s been holding Derek’s face to tweak his nipple hard.

“Ahhh! Shit! GodDAMMIT POINDEXTER!” Will is laughing and leaning up on Chris who’s tucked his head onto Will’s shoulder. They’re all three still breathing hard and Will knows from the taste of their kisses, from the smell of all three of them in the close space of the car, that they’re all just about unbearably turned on. Unfortunately, they’ve got stuff to do. 

“Guys, we should hit pause for a minute. Check-in at the B&B is gonna be awkward if we all walk in with stiffies or stained pants…” and then yelps because Derek has firmly stroked his cock through his shorts and Chris has yanked his shirt aside to bite at his favorite spot on his neck. Will feels his whole body shiver uncontrollably with powerful desire, and when he gets his eyes open again he sees both of his guys looking at him with intense gazes and little smirks.

“Well, *I* can’t get out first,” says Chris. His voice is more than a little raspy, gone all deep. His lips are swollen from kissing, and he looks sexy as fuck with his hair all tousled. He runs a hand up Will’s neck and into his hair and Will gets a shivery aftershock of the bite from a moment ago. “Get out of the car, Will, we have to go check in!” Chris’s smile is wicked, his chirp full of mischief.

Will untangles himself from the others (when did their legs get all tangled up and why hadn’t he noticed?), fumbles for the door handle, and clumsily gets out of the car ass first. Derek’s unsnarled himself from Chris as well, getting out on the other side of the car, and Chris scoots out on Will’s side, intentionally getting up in Will’s space. Chris runs his knuckles down Will’s chest, waist, and hip, down to the front of Will’s thigh. 

Will loses the power of speech (again). Oh god, he’s gonna die. At least his boyfriends seem determined that he’ll die happy.

Nursey’s got the trunk open already and is hefting out their duffels in a line on the ground. “C’mon boys, even I can’t carry ALL your shit myself,” he chirps.

Chris takes a minute to run his hands over Dex’s head to tidy his hair, so Dex returns the favor, and they straighten each other’s shirts, too, halfway as an excuse to just touch as they come down from their buzz. As usual, Nursey’s hair looks just as good messed up from making out as it does when he’s spent an hour fussing it with product. Dex reaches over with a grin and fluffs it a bit with his fingertips, while Derek bats him away with mild irritation, mostly fake. They all bump shoulders, smiling sheepishly as they hoist their bags and walk around the gently aging Victorian to find the lobby. 

The key to their room is one of those delightfully oversized antique skeleton keys. Chris stares at it in amazement. “They don’t really have these in California,” he says. Derek grins at Dex and Dex looks wryly back. They’re familiar with the older houses all over the East Coast, both their beauty and their pain-in-the-ass qualities.

Chris opens the door for the three of them and freezes in the doorway.  
“Guys, what have you done? This is WAY too nice.” 

Nursey snorts. “Move it, Chow, this bag is WAYYY too heavy for little old me,” and hip checks him into the room. Dex follows, his eyes following the lines of the high arched ceilings, the elegant (and fortunately sturdy looking) giant four poster bed. There’s a comfy chair and loveseat with coffee table across from the… yes! Old fashioned fireplace. The colors in the room are bright without being garish, and everything is well cared for but not pristine. It all looks comfortable and lived in, and should be a great place to hang out for a couple of nights.

When Dex comes out from (finally!) relieving himself in the en-suite bathroom, Nursey’s already opened the french doors out onto their patio, with hot tub as promised. The patio is tiny, very green, entirely screened in and private. It’s a beautiful, perfect space. Chow’s already kicked his shoes off and lined them up next to the door, and Dex follows suit, wiggling his toes and bouncing up and down a little. 

He cracks his neck a bit from side to side and grins at Chris. “So... we’ve checked in, now…” 

Derek’s head whips around from outside on the patio. Almost like a dog catching a scent on a hunt. It’s starting to become pavlovian, learning and reacting to the certain tone of voice each of them uses. They love winding each other up at inconvenient moments.

Now is not the least bit inconvenient. This is the best.

Chris grins back as he saunters over, hooking a finger in one of Will’s belt loops. “Why yes. Yes, I believe we have checked in!” He runs fingertips lightly over the exposed skin at the base of Will’s throat, resting his thumb in the collarbone notch. His focus is intent on watching the pinkness rise to the surface as he strokes back and forth and Will suddenly finds it difficult to breathe with Chris’s complete attention on the tiny places he’s stroking, at Will’s waist and neck.  
It escalates quickly when Derek wraps his arms round Will’s chest, molding his body to Will’s back, one hand on Will’s hip, the other pulling at Chris’s neck.

Chris leans over Will’s shoulder to kiss Derek. Will can hear them in his ear. It’s hot and a little overwhelming. Chris is still stroking Will’s skin but kneading at his waist in firm handfuls, not light touches. Will shivers again and lets his head fall forward onto Chris’s shoulder, rubbing his face on Chris like a cat. Derek’s hand moves up under Will’s shirt, skating over his ribs and abdominals, leaving goosebumps behind. Will can tell from how closely they’re all pressed together that Derek’s petting both his and Chris’s stomachs at the same time and he makes a moaning mouth-noise as he flushes hot. Again.

Derek and Chris pull a little bit apart at that, and Derek inhales audibly while his arm tightens around Will’s chest. 

Will loves it.

“You guys are wearing too many clothes,” Chris growls in his Terrifyingly Focused Goalie voice, pulling off the first of his own many layers.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a teenaged boy. I never was a teenaged boy. I'm going to continue to write what I know, and if anyone else wants to gift the universe with the specific choreography of the evening that follows after they divest themselves of clothing and enjoy one another, I would love to see it! (and please tag me so I DO see it!!)
> 
> The next (and final) chapter will pick up the following morning, because one thing I do know is dopey-in-love kids having fun with each other.
> 
> the makeout scene in the car was inspired by some goddamn beautiful art I saw on Tumblr, and if I can find it again I will credit and link. <3 to the artist!


	5. Best Spring Break Ever.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last two days of their road trip, Will and Chris and Derek have a lot of fun together.

Chris remembers that the last thing he said to them before the golden haze took hold of them, was that they were wearing too many clothes. They’re so different, Nursey and Dex, and so gorgeous, the both of them. Dark and light, angry and chill … but that’s all much less important now than it was when they were all frogs. The dark and light is just a visual contrast, the anger and studied disengagement were shields against the world being like the world is. But here, and now, they don’t need their protective gear. Will can be soft, affectionate, vulnerable. He can give himself up to desire, can allow himself to want. Derek can shed his disaffected cool attitude, can laugh loudly, can hug hard, can kiss sweetly. And Chris knows he can afford to be more himself too: can let out his serious, trusting side and drop the innocent persona he uses around the Haus, around the jock culture. 

They’re safe here. Now. They can just be.

He takes a moment to think, think about how these boys are beautiful, in so many damn ways. 

Not least of which is, they love him. And they are HIS. Fiercely his. His Will. His Derek.

He grins at them both with all his teeth as he’s pulling his shirt off and he sees how fast they’re getting undressed too. It’s hot as hell, how they all can’t wait to get their hands on one another.

Well. Hands, mouths… skin. Heh. God, he loves them so much. And touching them has become the best addiction ever.

He’s still grinning when he steps forward to pull the belt out of Dex’s shorts, feels Nursey’s hands at his waist and shudders as those hands and arms skim up and over his sides and his chest, just firm enough to avoid hitting the tickle reflex. Unf. His eyes cross from intense pleasure. Taking a deep breath to recover, he messes up Dex’s hair and Dex, Will, leans in for a sudden fierce kiss with that look in his eyes Chris remembers. Serious focus, yo. Hella sexy.

“Oh my god, guys, you’re going to kill me dead, aren’t you?” he moans.

“Mmmmmm” from behind and in his right ear: Derek.  
“Yup!” from in front, muffled against his chest, where Will is biting gently.

Chris laughs short and joyful. “Yes, please!” before gasping as one of them pinches his nipple, not too hard, and another hand gropes his butt. “Lose the shorts, Chris,” Derek growls in his ear.

“Feel free to help…” he’s breathless, totally distracted. Derek’s shorts are unbuttoned and hanging half off his hips, Will’s down to his boxers. Chris twists to tug on Derek’s shorts as Will pulls on his, which makes him stagger a little, and they all start giggling… 

“Wait, wait!” Will snickers. “Derek’s the clumsy one!”  
“Grrrr, Poindexter, I’ll get you for that later!” 

“Oh yeah, Nurse, I’m a-scairt. What could you POSSIBLY -- mmph!” as Derek grabs his face, biting his bottom lip in another scorching hot kiss. 

Chris kicks free of his own shorts and boxers and makes sure to de-pants Will while he’s distracted. Mmm. Dat ass. He runs one hand down Will’s naked backside, hears him moan into the kiss with Derek, and runs another hand through Derek’s hair, scratching the back like he knows Derek likes. It’s so distracting, so mmmm, watching them move together as they kiss, it’s mesmerizing.

“Now, now boys.” Chris can hear his own voice is getting gravelly. Derek and Will pause and turn to look at him, both with flushed faces. “There IS a perfectly good bed right over there, only two feet away.” Making a herding gesture with his arms, he says, “Get over there! God, do I have to do everything around here?”

“Mmmm. No, not everything…” Derek glances at Will with a smirk.

Will grabs a handful of Chris’s ass, as he yelps, manhandling him into a sandwich with Derek. The two of them grin as they each grab under one of Chris’s knees and hoist him up to lie on the bed. Chris is laughing. Derek arranges himself on the bed, propped up on one elbow with his hand supporting his head. Will joins them, with a quiet smirk, tucking one foot under his knee, his free leg swinging gently over the edge of the bed.

“Oh my god. I love that we are so crazy together. God, I love you guys.”  
Will looks surprised at himself for speaking, as Chris and Derek look over at him, smiling.

“We love you, too, Poindexter.” The chirp is almost tender in tone, the gaze soft.

“Will… yeah.” Chris’s smile is sweet and lopsided. “Kiss me?”

Will does. And then he and Derek dog pile Chris again.

The afternoon passes in a dreamy haze of heat and touch, affection and laughter and other delicious noises.They trade kisses, sweet surprising bites, and increasingly intimate caresses, constantly interrupted by juvenile humor at varying times to see if they can break the mood. Sometimes they can’t get by without a whispered, sincere expression of their feelings, and sometimes they can’t get past giggling like children in a tickle fight.  
This is just who they are: together.

By dinner time, all of them have tired themselves out in trying to outdo (and impress) the others with athletic sweaty sex. Derek thinks, catching his breath again, that he’s never been happier. Dex has never felt such calm contentment in his whole life. Chris thinks he’s maybe strained a groin muscle because the guys kept testing the limits of his flexibility, but he’s grinning like a fool.

When they finish catching their breath and cuddling, they’ve got just enough time for showering up and getting dressed for dinner. They’ve all got their “date night” button downs on, and they’re smiling at each other, hip-checking and rasslin’ on their way out of the B & B. Derek’s got recommendations for restaurants (from Holster and Ransom of course). 

They settle on a place that offers a delicious heaping pile of bar-b-que with all the fixings: four kinds of salad, potato wedges with cheese, bacon bits, and ranch dipping sauce. Fresh coleslaw with a slightly sweet dressing and slivered red jalapeno peppers and almonds for color, texture, and spice. Corn on the cob, with butter and salt and those Old Bay spices that Dex grew up with. Delicious.

Even hungry hockey players can eventually get stuffed to the gills. Derek is groaning and leaning theatrically on Chris as they exit the restaurant, Dex laughing so hard at another of Chris’s horribly mock-earnest puns that he’s doubled over and stumbling. They spend the rest of their evening mocking the tourist trap junk for sale, and teasing each other, and laughing at the stupidest in-jokes they can create.

It’s a beautiful, memorable, romantic night. They get sleepy lounging in their patio hot tub, gently making out. After checking in with Lardo and the smh chat, they fall asleep in the giant sturdy bed tangled up together like a basket of kittens. 

In the morning they join their hostess for breakfast and coffee. “Ma’am, you make excellent waffles!” says Chris to their hostess across the table. Derek moans, “oh, you can never tell Bitty, but these waffles might be better than his!” Will just grins and eats more bacon.

They take a ride on the Maiden of the Mists and get soaked in spite of the rental raincoats, all the way through their matching Samwell hoodies. The tour guide has a wonderful storytelling voice, and an obvious respect for the culture and people where it originated.  
Chowder is deeply touched by the sad story of the Maiden, while Nursey’s obviously making notes for something he’ll be writing later, and Dex is just awed by the size of the Falls which are so much bigger than he could have imagined. 

When they get back to land, they explore the rest of the town, eating snacks and buying little tchotchkes for their family members.

“Damn, no wonder Ransom and Holster like this place so much, it’s beautiful! Hella romantic, eh Chow?”  
“Hella sounds hella DUMB in a Maine accent, Poindexter!” Chris shoots back.  
Derek laughs silently as his boys chirp the hell out of each other.

After another incredible dinner that evening, the boys all experience a moment of bittersweet their second night there. This week of Spring Break is almost over, it’s the last night of their road trip, and this has been a beautiful, magical getaway for them.

And now it’s almost over. In the morning, they’re packing up and leaving the B&B for the long drive back to Samwell.

Will made up his mind that afternoon to take that one last step with them. The one he’s been weirdly reluctant about, in spite of knowing they love him and he loves them.

He decides to just go for it, once they’re all settled on the couch in front of the fireplace, feet leaning together on the coffee table.

“I wanna call you guys my boyfriends. Is that okay?”

Shrug and a tiny smile from Derek. “In my head, I was already calling you guys that, so yeah? It’s chill...” 

Will punches him in the arm, and Derek ducks his head and grins.

Chris nods enthusiastically, his metal glittered smile bright and happy. “Wait till I tell Caitlin! She’s gonna be so happy for us, guys!”

His smile turned sly. “But you know she’s gonna ask for deets…”

Will shoves the coffee table out of the way and knee-walks the couple of feet across the carpet. He bosses his way into the space between Derek and Chris, pulling their outside arms together onto his shoulders. Biting his lip against a big smile that matches both of theirs he leans in until all of them have their faces together in a small huddle. 

“Then I guess…” he leans left and kisses Chris sweetly, “we’ll just have to…” he leans right to kiss Derek, “make some more memories to tell her about, hey?”

Will has lost the fight against his grin, and gently turns their faces towards each other so Derek and Chris kiss softly too.

He strokes Chris’s face and makes his voice deep, mocking Chris only a little bit: “Now who’s wearing too many clothes?”

Derek looks at Chris, and they both zoom in on Will like a telephoto lens.  
“Uh, YOU are?” Chris reaches for his belt as Derek pulls his hoodie off over his head.

Will laughs out loud at how ruthless his guys can be, thinking, “my guys. My BOYFRIENDS.”

He’s still grinning like an idiot as the hoodie tangles around his shoulders, high as a kite with relief, and love, and desire. Derek kisses him again, sweetly, as they make their way back to the bed. Chris has climbed in already and waggles his eyebrows outrageously as he pats the mattress next to him, mockingly posing like Derek often does. 

Derek huffs out a laugh. “Really, Chow? I thought you loved me.”

“Oh, I do.” It’s so matter-of-fact. Like nobody could ever doubt it.

Will doesn’t doubt. Derek doesn’t either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote more smut than I intended. It was so much fun!!
> 
> I love everyone in this bar... <3 
> 
> Comments and kudos give me life, please feel free to give me life! *grin*

**Author's Note:**

> Once this got more story going, I discovered that I have way more polyfrogs headcanons than I realized.
> 
> Comments are love. <3  
> thank you Ngozi for creating this comic!
> 
> and you're welcome to come find me on tumblr and nerd out about these adorable kids. =)  
> come find my main blog at labelleizzy on tumblr and Dreamwidth, or my omgcp sideblog at makeshittyknightproud: I reblog fanart, fanfic, and meta.


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